Sweetheart No-Tap features some vintage scores

LaVerne Howe and Bill Bender teamed to win the Sweetheart Doubles No-Tap Tournament at McHenry.

Bender rolled games of 224-279-298 for an 801 no-tap set, and Howe added a 673. The pair got 225 handicap pins for a 1,699 total. Rainy Tanner teamed with Claude Ham for second at 1,662. Ham rolled a 242-300-277 to account for 819 of those points. In a close battle for third, Angie Bosio and Perry Nichols totaled 1,661. Bosio had 705 and Nichols contributed a 605 set, which is remarkable considering Nichols is 97.

Three first-time 300s were rolled last week in league play:

• Phillip Graham posted his in the Junior Gold Scratch League;

• Rick Bates put his 12-in-a-row together in the Black Oak Casino Classic;

• Rudy Marquez recorded his perfecto in the Yosemite Majors.

The no-longer men's-only Kegler No-Tap Tournament runs Thursday at McHenry starting at 9:30 a.m. Teams of three can be any combination of men and women with a team handicap of maximum of 660. Check-in is at 9 a.m.

The Yosemite 55 & Older No-tap Tournament rolls Friday at 1 p.m.

The February Scratch 6-Gamer is Sunday at Yosemite. Tournament scoring starts a noon with check in at 11 a.m. The lanes will be oiled in the Kegel Broadway pattern.

The next instruction clinic sponsored by the Modesto USBC is also Sunday. McHenry Bowl will host a class starting at 10:30 a.m. Beginners through advanced bowlers can be instructed for $5, which includes bowling.

Brett Wolfe of Scottsdale, Ariz. rolled a record 886 series in the East Valley Open League at Brunswick Mesa Lanes in Mesa on games of 298, 290, 298. That broke a USBC Sport Bowling record of 869 set by Mike Norris Jr. of Melvindale, Minn., in June, 2010. Sport Bowling was developed by USBC a decade ago to set more challenging oiling conditions than are found under typical league rules.

All lanes are dressed with oil, and the oil pattern can have a huge effect on a ball's reaction. With a maximum of a 3:1 ratio in Sport Bowling, it effectively levels the oil on the lane and takes away any advantage. Overall, the sport shot has been effective in lowering scores. Bowling centers must have equipment to check the oil distribution on each lane, strip off all the previous oil before re-oiling the lanes (usually done twice a day) and send in graphs weekly.

Dallas Kadry is an employee of McHenry Bowl; call (209) 571-2695 or visit mchbowl@aol.com.